Thread Number: 20055
The newest additions to my "collection" arrived today!
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Post# 320641   12/20/2008 at 19:27 (5,576 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

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They are a White-Westinghouse FL washer and matching electric dryer! I was pretty jazzed when I learned about them about 2 weeks ago. I was finally able to arrange for a truck and picked them up today.

This must be one of the last of the old Westy design as they were built in mid-1994 and sold and installed in January of 1995.

The owner told me the washer overflowed once when she was not home and it would not drain, but for the price I paid (zero, ziltch, nada) that was OK with me!





Post# 320642 , Reply# 1   12/20/2008 at 19:29 (5,576 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        
Photo of the controls...

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Washer top, dryer bottom.

Post# 320643 , Reply# 2   12/20/2008 at 19:32 (5,576 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        
She even had documentation!

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The owners manuals, installation guides, Laundry care guide AND even the receipt!!! She (Mary Pratt) paid $1243.79 on 1/5/95

Post# 320645 , Reply# 3   12/20/2008 at 19:43 (5,576 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        
The collection....

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The will be added to my collection... in the location of the Frigidaire Skinny-Mini (in yellow). The Skinny Mini is not mine... it was loaned to me by my friend Rich.

Post# 320648 , Reply# 4   12/20/2008 at 19:55 (5,576 days old) by redcarpetdrew (Fairfield, CA)        

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We have a BIG multi hundred unit apartment complex here in Reno that have those Westy's in each unit. They are slowly trading them out now. We were selling them Maytag dependable care stacks (LSE'S) but now we have to supply the Whirlpool thin twin platforms. Apparently, they are having issues with the washer doors rusting out around the windows and cannot get replacement parts for them anymore, so they're junking the whole stack...

RCD


Post# 320652 , Reply# 5   12/20/2008 at 21:28 (5,576 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)        

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Why don't they replace them with Frigemores? Seems they would be more water efficient, especially in arid Nevada.

Post# 320653 , Reply# 6   12/20/2008 at 21:30 (5,576 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        
Now...... on to the problem.

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Yes I did get this washer & dryer for free, but I was hoping it (the washer) would be in better mechanical condition. (The dryer works fine BTW...) After I got it home I connected it to test it and it does fill and drain and it does not seem to leak. I did notice the door does not seal tightly, but I think that's just a simple adjustment.

It does reverse tumble for the wash/rinses and spins fine too (empty). BUT... as you can see from this photo, it would seem this washer has been overloaded quite a bit (from other comments I have read in other threads). Either that or the drum (?) is just failing. I threw a towel in I used to clean the washer and dryer. It tumbled fine, but when it went into the spin..........

Aside banging around from being unbalanced due to the single towel, it made a terrible noise. I then tried adding 6 other dry towels for balance, which helped, but the other noise was no better when spinning.

While yes it it was free, I'm bummed because this appears to be something major. I suspected it was perhaps the bearing(s), but when shaking / moving the drum back and forth the sound is more "shallow or thinner", like it the metal of the drum rather then a deeper more "solid" sound of the bearing. SOOO... I am guessing all of the paint/enamel that is flaked off the inside of the drum has something to do with this noise-while-spinning-with-a-load problem.




Post# 320656 , Reply# 7   12/20/2008 at 21:56 (5,576 days old) by ronhic (Canberra, Australia)        
Suspension

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Firstly, I have absolutely no experience with repairs on washers, but you comment earlier about 'over loading' has lit a light...

My Australian Hoover had springs from the top of the drum to the top sides....and I imagine that if I had ever or regularly overloaded it these could have stretched.

Effectively, what I am saying is check the suspension system...it may be easier to fix than you think



Post# 320661 , Reply# 8   12/20/2008 at 22:20 (5,576 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

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Thanks Chris for the suggestion.

I did think of that and I will pull the access panels off and take a closer look when I have a chance. But when I was doing my preliminary run-through the dryer was not stacked on top and I had removed the thin panel covering the top. This way I could see down inside from the top at least.


Post# 320675 , Reply# 9   12/21/2008 at 00:06 (5,576 days old) by tuthill ()        

Even if this Westy can't be restored, it's certainly good to have around for parts!

Post# 320712 , Reply# 10   12/21/2008 at 11:10 (5,575 days old) by golittlesport (California)        

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That machine is just like your Kenmore-badged front loader....same cycles and controls...except the panel is black instead of white. Between the two WCI front loader sets, it seems you got one good washer and one good dryer. And you can't beat the price of both! As has been said, it will make a great part donor to keep one machine running well. Thanks for the pictures! Where are you going to move Skinni-Mini? She likes it where she is! :-)

Post# 320717 , Reply# 11   12/21/2008 at 12:58 (5,575 days old) by surgilator_68 (Maryland)        

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The poor thing suffers from advanced bearing failure.

Post# 320721 , Reply# 12   12/21/2008 at 13:09 (5,575 days old) by programcomputer (Ann Arbor Michigan, USA)        
Check the suspension...

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After moving my Westinghouse SpaceMates years ago, from the house, to the apartment above the garage...moving them up stairs etc...the rubber snubbers that are part of the lower suspension (think long metal tongs, with rubber covered suction cups on the ends), were no longer centered over the metal flanges that they normally sit over/on.

When I fired up a load of towels for the maiden run the machine made that horrible noise during spin. You must raise up the tub, while alternately repositioning the Tongs over the metal flanges. You will need someone to help LIFT the tub becasue it's DAMN heavy, with all those concrete balancing blocks it uses.

Also, The upper tub springs, may have bent the mounting tabs they hook to the frame of the machine quite severely. You may need to bend back these tang/mounting tabs as someone lifts that DAMN heavy tub from beneath. You may even need two people.

They upper springs on those old Westinghouse Laundromats from that era remind me of a childs rocking horse.

(Think four heavy duty springs. mounted on all four corners all angled inwards towards the tub assembly pulling hte entire mechanism upwards.. These springs can get sagged out, and there (is) to my knowledge no adjustment for them.

Of course my machine was NOT a dual tumble, and had one motor for wash/spin and drain. Yours may be different, but I wouldn't imagine so.

Once you tear into it, you'll kinda see what I mean.

And I never found a way to adjust the outer door to create a stronger seal. These machines were just NOTORIOUS water leakers, especially when overloaded the slightest bit.

And as far as I'm aware, parts are harder to find and I'm sure NLA from ElectroFrigiWestylux. So hopefully as it was noted, you be able to make one good machine out of two.


Chad


Post# 321078 , Reply# 13   12/23/2008 at 13:33 (5,573 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

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Thank you for all of your ideas and suggestions!

I will be off for the next 5 days... so maybe I will have a chance to do a more thorough inspection on this washer. I still think it's either the drum welds which have failed or perhaps the bearings, but I really think it’s the drum.

But with Christmas pending, still needing to clean the pool, needing to change the oil in 3 cars AND dealing with the upcoming rain…. we'll see. LOL

Ultimately, depending what I find, I suspect I will be tearing down both my 1990 Kenmore FL and this 1994 WW FL washer to swap the drum / tub assemblies from one machine to the other.

I will take photos as I go and will post it once it's all finished.




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